One Clone Too Many
by Anakin David
Summary: An interesting discovery is made regarding Jack's clone... Season/timeline: second half of 10, going A/U. Mention of spoilers for the Quest pt. 1 & 2 and The Shroud. Sam/Jack
1. Chapter 1

Pairings: Sam/Jack, Jack/Other

Season/timeline: second half of 10, going A/U. Mention of spoilers for the Quest pt. 1 & 2 and The Shroud.

Warnings: language

Ratings: PG-15

Summary: An interesting discovery is made regarding Jack's clone.

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Jack J. O'Neill was happy. His first year at the academy had been successful. With his special history, he had been admitted at the age of 17, and he had literally flown over the trainings and classes this first year. He had chosen Military Strategic studies for his major, like his first time around. If his early results during the second year were any indication, he was headed to a promising graduation. With the holiday season looming, he intended to spend his two weeks leave at his duplicate's cabin.

Both men had reached an agreement: as compensation for Jack J.'s unfortunate predicament, Jack O'Neill had offered half ownership of the cabin to him. So far the arrangement suited him just fine. Whenever he needed the place, he sent Jack a short text messageto announce he would be there. The rare times they had bumped into each other, it had only been to pass the relay. Whenever Jack was there, Jack J. was not, and vice versa. Not that they did not get along fine but it was just too frustrating for Jack J. to get a glimpse of 'what should have been' while he was resting his ass on school benches. On his part Jack O'Neill had to be a little freaked out every time he saw a younger version of himself.

Jack J. knew who he had to thank for his life but he was not going to dwell on that forever.

The past four years had been all about studying and making the most of the situation he had been forced into. He was only moderately interested in partying (besides, drinking had been forbidden to him until recently). He was definitely not interested in girls that age –despite being the professed interest of many**– **so he chose to study. His admission to the academy had never been a problem, his path was already well traced and his rapid promotions planned in advance. He had even been wooed by the black operations section and he had declined more than once. He wanted only one thing: the Stargate Program. As soon as he was out of the academy, he was guaranteed the rank of major and command of an SG Unit by special order of the president and he was not going to jeopardize that.

Jack J. zipped his bag closed and locked his room before making his way down the stairs to the parking lot. He had decided to drive all the way to Minnesota, stopping at a motel along the way. The weather was clear and he should be able to make good time but he still had a long trip ahead of him.

As he was fumbling with the keys of his F150 a white flash enveloped him, leaving only his bag next to his red truck…

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Jack felt the alien presence before his senses were fully alert. His eyes snapped open and he groaned. "Thor, has anyone ever told you that sneaking up on people is dangerous?" he showed the small gun he had retrieved from underneath his pillow.

The Asgard blinked. "Greetings, O'Neill."

A feminine voice groaned next to Jack and he turned his head toward it a brief moment.

"Greetings to you too, Colonel Carter," Thor said at the same tone.

Jack slapped his forehead and collapsed back down on his pillow. "Ah crap!"

"I will wait for you on board my ship, O'Neill. We need to talk."

Thor disappeared in a flash of light. Jack sighed.

"You have any idea what he wants?" Sam asked, snuggling into his side.

"No," Jack replied "but I'm pissed. He really needs to stop appearing out of nowhere! What if we had been…"

Sam's groaned "Don't even mention it!"

"Not that I'm a prude or anything but…"

"Jack!" she cut him off in an offended tone.

"Kidding!" he said before kissing her soundly. "I'd better put something on, I wouldn't want the little guy to get jealous…" He folded back the bed covers and headed for the bathroom.

Sam snorted. "Smartass!"

"Yes Ma'am, and a cute one at that, according to you!" he laughed, barely avoiding the pillow she threw at him.

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Jack sat in the SGC briefing room. He had borrowed a set of military fatigues in exchange for the sweats he had donned before his meeting with Thor and was waiting for SG-1 and Major General Hank Landry to put in an appearance. To their credit, Thor had seemed to forget that 0430 in the morning was considered resting time for Earthlings… The alien was stoically seated in front of Jack while the latter endlessly drummed his fingers on top of the table.

Jack ran a hand through his tousled hair and then rubbed it down his cheek, grimacing as he realized he had not shaved for two days. Of course, he was supposed to be on vacation for at least another week, but Murphy's Law seemed to hang around his neck like a millstone. So here he was. At least he had showered, he mused.

There was a slight commotion at the entrance of the briefing room and Jack turned his head just in time to see Sam, followed by Teal'c, Cameron Mitchell, Daniel, Vala, and finally Hank Landry enter the room.

Thor blinked.

"All right, Jack, what's this all about?" asked an aggravated Hank Landry, getting straight to the point while the others grumpily sat down around the table.

"Thor and his buddies made some possibly interesting discovery that could help us beat the crap out of those Ori," Jack stated. "I might be the key to it, at least my clone might," he concluded.

"Oh?" Landry asked the alien.

"We have been trying to find a genetic solution to the Ori problem ever since our defeat when they invaded our galaxy. Conventional weapons have not been successful, and furthermore, we know that the Ori drive their power from the prayers of their followers." Thor started.

"You found a new super strong Asgard weapon to defeat the Priors?" Cameron asked, earning a warning look from Landry.

"I am afraid not yet, unfortunately, Colonel Mitchell. But upon studying some planets' populations which did not seem to provide as much power as some others, we determined that a few genes showed a slight mutation, and that this was the reason the full deliverance of power from the prayer was prevented."

"…What about Jack's clone?" Daniel asked.

"To allow O'Neill's clone to live, we had to induce several mutations on certain parts of his genes. As a result, his genetic code is slightly different now than O'Neill's. He is not able to use Ancient technology the same way O'Neill does because some of the modifications were made on the Ancient genes."

"Let me guess, the same genes that are involved in not delivering full power to the Ori?" Vala asked enthusiastically.

"In a way, yes, but we had not noticed this at first. At some point during our research in analyzing the various genomes, O'Neill's was used as the reference, and that is how we discovered that some of the mutated genes on the human genome corresponded to the ancient genes in O'Neill's and later, John Sheppard's. We used his DNA imprint to verify our theories.

"And the Ori have not noticed?" Sam inquired.

"At this point, it seems that they do not care or have not paid attention. They are focused on other matters undoubtedly."Thor paused a moment, then resumed. "We tried several simulations with O'Neill's and Sheppard's DNA but the result was not as promising as we had first presumed. Heimdal was the one to think of O'Neill's clone, and the simulations we made on his DNA showed that there was a stronger potential," he concluded.

"O-Kay, how does this concern SG-1?" Cameron asked.

"Jack J. has disappeared," Jack blurted out.

"What do you mean, 'disappeared'?" Landry asked.

"We cannot trace his biological signature to anywhere in particular in the galaxy. We know it is there, we just do not know where." Thor said.

"You think the Ori have some responsibility in this?" Teal'c suggested.

"We do not want to rule out any possibility; his disappearance was sudden and total. If he were dead, we would know it because of the markers we left in both O'Neill and his clone. Only two of our enemies can do this: the Ori…"

"And Baal," Jack said in a somber voice.

Thor nodded slightly.

"That's going to be wild goose chase," Cameron stated. "We've had trouble locating him ever since he left Earth with his clones."

"Baal has several hideouts in the galaxy. We may not be able to find his bio signature, but I have an advantage over him that he doesn't even suspect…" Jack said in a resigned tone.

"What is it?" Daniel asked.

Jack looked at Sam. "I know the precise location of most of them."

"And you never mentioned this before because…?" Landry asked in an aggravated tone.

"Because I had no idea I still had it in my subconscious!" Jack snapped back. "Thor searched Kanaan's memories and apparently those Tok'Ra know how to keep a secret because it took him a rather long time to locate these and retrieve them! Kanaan had memorized the locations and plans of most of Baal's bases. Of course, this might be old history for some of them, but we still have an advantage over him, and that's better than nothing."

Hank sighed. "So what's the plan?"

Jack folded his hands in front of him and looked straight to each member of SG-1 in turn.

"We split. I'll take Carter with me. Mitchell, you take Teal'c, Daniel and Vala. Carter and I will go and try to find Jack J. at one of Baal's fortresses. The rest of SG-1 tries the Ori alternative. Thor screened several possibilities and Vala might be useful if Adria's involved in any of them."

"General?" Landry asked, concerned.

"This is a personal matter, General, you stay here to run the base, I'm going to save his butt. I won't let him go through this a second time." Jack said in a tone that left no doubt about his determination.

"If Baal is the one who abducted Jack J., how can you be sure he won't be able to find what Thor did?" Landry asked. "And if the Ori did it, then…. I'd rather not think about what they could have done with him."

"So what if Baal does? The snake won't have time to move fast enough and we can track ships. Besides, the point is to find Jack J. before Baal tortures him," Jack retorted.

"You seem pretty sure Baal captured your clone," Landry stated.

"He has a name, you know," Jack said, clearly annoyed.

"This was our first assessment as well, General Landry," Thor interrupted.

"So why did he capture him?" Landry asked, matter-of-factly.

"We may have a leak in our security system," Thor admitted.

"Lots of 'if' and 'may' or 'might'," Landry said.

Jack sighed, "We don't have many options. My gut tells me Jack J. is with Baal, I'm going."

"You may do whatever you want with your gut, Jack, but SG-1 is my responsibility and I'm not going to send them on a wild goose chase just because you have a gut feeling!"

"A gut feeling that is supported by Thor, Hank!" Jack roared, clearly beyond civility. "My gut feelings have saved our collective asses more than once, if I recall correctly!"

Silence fell upon the briefing table. Jack looked at the older man dangerously then spoke in a voice that left no room for discussion.

"Besides being one of our own, Jack J. O'Neill is far more important than what you can ever imagine if my buddy Thor here is right. So either you move your butt and support me in handling this, or I make it an order. If I have to face charges for abusing my position, then so be it. This won't be the first or the last time I take action for the greater good."

"Okay, Jack, you're the boss, I just hope you know what you're doing," Landry said, clearly defeated.

"Thanks for your support," Jack smirked

Landry stood up. "SG-1, go get geared up and be ready to leave. Jack, can I talk to you in my office, please?"

"Sure", Jack mumbled. "I have to ask for a form to borrow equipment anyway," he quipped.

While SG-1 went their separate ways, Jack stepped into the other general's office. The latter closed the door behind him.

"Jack…"

"I don't know what's gotten into you, Hank, but I don't like the way you treated me out there!" Jack roared. "I'm not a rookie and I think I have proven enough times that my judgment is accurate!"

"Calm down, Jack and sit down, please."

"You're treading dangerous waters there," Jack said in a cold voice.

"Jack! I said what I said because I think you're taking this too much at heart! Don't tell me the Baal possibility doesn't have any importance in your personal involvement!"

"Of course it does! It did when my team was supposed to be in his hands two years ago. Baal is the only remaining system lord and I know first hand what he's capable of!"

"And that's what worries me, Jack. How can I be sure that it's not clouding your judgment?" Hank asked, calmly.

"It's not. And besides, I'll have Carter with me, she'll keep me grounded."

"You outrank her," Hank deadpanned.

Jack smiled. "So? It's never stopped her before, it's not gonna stop her now, believe me, I know that first hand, too." He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

Hank looked surprised.

"What? It's not as if we're breaking any rule, and I won't be the one writing her evaluation, you will." He shrugged.

Hank chuckled. "I understand now why you were so eager to take that position in D.C."

"Not a word, Hank. Only Daniel and Teal'c know." Jack warned.

"My lips are sealed, don't worry…"

"Now can I fill in the form for my equipment?" Jack changed the subject, smiling.


	2. Chapter 2

Jack J. knew instantly where he was. He ignored the thrill he felt at being once again on a spaceship and concentrated on trying to know whose ship he was on. The vessel was of Goa'uld design, no doubt and he was probably at the hands of some enemy, too, as his binds testified. He was only vaguely aware of galactic current events. His SGC contacts were still bound by secrecy, even around him. He knew the system lords had been defeated and that on their ashes, a society of rogue Jaffa/merchants had arisen and taken the name "Lucian alliance". He also knew Baal was still on the run. So the possibilities were many but only a few were plausible. Somehow, he doubted he would be of any commercial value to the Lucian Alliance. He opted for the Baal alternative even though he was not absolutely sure why the defeated system lord would want anything to do with the clone of his nemesis, except to attract O'Neill into a trap. Maybe… Nothing was beyond the bastard anyway…

His musings were interrupted by a familiar clanking of armors. He tried to sit up straight.

The sliding doors opened and an overdressed Baal made his entrance.

"Ah crap!" Jack J. groaned. "What do you want from me?!"

"Your DNA," Baal deadpanned, his lips raised with that familiar smirk Jack J had come to hate.

"Wrong Jack O'Neill, Baal! I'm a clone, a copy, and my DNA's not the same as the original!" Jack J. quipped.

"That is where you are mistaken, O'Neill. Because you are a clone your DNA presents certain interests that the original's doesn't!"

"Why am I not surprised?"

"Your Asgard creator Loki provided us with the most interesting information," Baal resumed.

"He's locked in an Asgard cell!"

"His body is," Baal stated, clearly amused. "I used his research to broaden my possibilities of action."

Jack J. raised his eyebrows inquiringly.

"My own clones," the Goa'uld stated. "Oh but you may not know about this." He chuckled. "However using his research proved inadequate, I needed more. I needed some insight into Asgard research, so I improved one of Anubis's devices…" He produced a small sphere from his robe. "Amazing that the spirit of an Asgard can be kept in such a small device!" he snarled.

Jack J. sighed, clearly not amused. "If you want to keep mine, you'll only need a marble, and I'm not even sure the extent of my knowledge would fit in such a large a space! So go on, be done with it and let me rest. I never asked for this cloning stuff but I had finally made my peace with the situation. Do whatever it is you want with me and then leave me alone."

Baal chuckled. "Oh, have no doubt, I will do whatever I want with you. We still have quite some distance to travel before I can continue with my experiment on you. In the meantime, I'd like to draw some of your blood and start validating a few theories." He smiled evilly.

He stepped aside and a woman followed by a floating device bearing several tubes and syringes came in.

"Ah crap." Jack J. said

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Jack and Sam saw SG-1 through the gate before readjusting their gear and stepping through the shimmering pool in their turn.

They arrived on P7G-RTF, a barren planet where, according to Jack's memories of Kanaan, the System Lord Baal was known to have a base. The facility was subterranean and quite a walk from the gate. Jack and Sam started in that direction. Their trip was silent. They had not done this in a long time and were just enjoying the well oiled routine they had developed after all these years.

They walked several hours before arriving in sight of the cliff underneath which the base was located. Jack crept under a boulder and signaled Sam to do the same, then he produced his mini binoculars and scouted the area. He did not see any activity but that did not mean there was not any. They decided to approach with caution. When they reached the rock wall, Jack felt the surface with his fingertips, looking for some clue.

"Jack?" Sam asked after a moment.

"There should be a small cavity somewhere," he replied.

"There are lots of small cavities," she stated. "You know what it looks like?" she started to examine the wall.

"Well this cavity's not natural, it's carved and you have Goa'uld designs engraved in the rock. It's about this high," he indicated his chest.

Sam nodded and resumed her exploration of the wall. "Found it!" she said triumphantly after a short while.

Jack smiled. "I knew there was a reason I let you tag along with me."

"Smartass," she shook her head.

"Well Colonel Carter, your language lacks variety!" he chuckled, as he reached her position and examined the wall closely.

"Yep, that's the one," he murmured. "Now let's see if Thor's memory enhancement was worth the headache…"

He touched the symbols in a seemingly random pattern and after a short while, rings appeared to transport them underneath the surface.

The base was unlit and dusty. Jack and Sam switched on the lights on their P90s and started exploring the place. Jack took point and they silently walked along the corridors.

They went several levels down before finally reaching a barely lit chamber.

Jack's stomach lurched and Sam turned her head in disgust.

A dead queen floated in a tank, half eaten by the larvae she had apparently given birth to. They were as dead as the queen was and the stench was probably contained by the sealed tank. At least that was what Jack surmised and he had no desire to check it out.

"Sir, I think the base has been long abandoned," Sam stated in a breath.

"I think you're right, Carter." Jack admitted. "There's a chamber we should check out three levels up, that's where he stored his Goa'uld gizmos, there might be some left…"

"Can we go now? This place gives me the creeps…" Sam said uneasily.

"Lead the way, Colonel." Jack agreed, gesturing with his weapon for Sam to retrace their steps.

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SG-1 gated to a planet that had recently fallen into Ori's hands, but which was still open to travelers. They had dressed innativeclothing. Teal'c concealed his bulky figure underneath a large poncho, Daniel wore a peasant's outfit. Cameron's was a mix of leather and tan material, and Vala' wore a simple dress, forced to forego her usual flashy wardrobe as she was supposed to be Daniel's wife traveling with their servant and bodyguard.

They came into the village and mingled with the population. The planet used to be a commercial trade post before its conversion to the Ori, so it was not unusual for travelers to come and go on traders' errands. They booked a room at the local Inn and were informed of the prostration hours, a _sine qua non_ condition if they wanted to remain and trade there. It was risky to ask too many questions and talk in the open,so they opted to meet and discuss their options in Daniel and Vala's room.

"We should try and speak with Sandika about how things are," Cameron started, referring to their contact the last time they had been here. "If he's still here, that is…"

"I believe it is better we go to the prostration first and observe if anything is different. It may give us some indication about our research." Teal'c said.

"Vala and I can go to the tavern and listen to what people say there. In my opinion, if the Ori have abducted Jack J., and unless they want to keep it a secret, there will at least be rumors." Daniel suggested.

"So we spilt?" Cameron asked. "I'm not sure I like this…"

"In such a small village, splitting is not too dangerous," Daniel said. "Who knows, Sandika may even be at the tavern…"

"And what if he's a faithful follower of the Ori?" Cameron asked.

"Sandika is a former first prime, and he saw the demise of Gerak. I doubt he will have fallen into the trap. He may be playing along, if he is still on this planet. But not a faithful follower." Teal'c affirmed.

"What time is the prostration?" Vala asked.

"Err…." Daniel started as a single bell started ringing. "Right now?" he winced.

Sg-1 exited Daniel's room and dutifully joined the rest of the village kneeling in the central square.

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Jack J. woke up with a start. His head was pounding, no doubt the effect of the drugs the woman had pumped into his body once she had taken –in his opinion– gallons of his blood. When he had asked what it was, the woman had merely shrugged. He had briefly wondered if she even spoke English but was proven wrong when he heard her talk to the guards outside. He rubbed his neck, a difficult task given that his wrists were still handcuffed and wondered what day it was. His watch had been taken, along with his belt, jacket and pull-over. He was glad not to be dressed as a Tok'Ra this time, but socks, jeans, and a T-shirt were not his dream clothes in such a chilly environment.

A huge "clonk" was heard and the ship shuddered, leading Jack J. to think their journey had ended. As if on cue, the door to his cell slid open and two guards came in to grab him and drag him out.

"Why no Jaffa?!" he smirked. "How's the pay? Because you know, I'm thinking of a new direction for my blossoming career…"

"Silence!" one of the guards cut him off right before the rings activated and transported them into the Goa'uld's domain.

The guards then proceeded along brightly lit corridors that went further down what seemed to be a subterranean base. Jack J. was trying to keep his pants from slipping down to his ankles at the same time as he was trying to keep in pace with his captors. Finally, they reached the prisoners' cells. Jack J. was grateful for his sock clad feet which were starting to hurt between the rough ground and the bruising binds on his ankles.

"Lord Baal will come to see you momentarily!" the same guard announced while releasing Jack J.'s arms and opening the cell door. Without support Jack J. slumped slightly against the second guard. He muttered a soft 'sorry' before he got back to his feet.

"Watch it, human!" the guard growled.

"Well I haven't practiced standing on one leg enough lately, and with those binds that's what I've got as far as I'm concerned!" Jack J. shot back.

"Untie him!" the first one said as he pushed him into the cell.

The second guard grumbled something incomprehensible and bent down to loosen the binds Jack J. had around his ankles.

Jack J. watched calmly as the first guard switched the force field on, snarling. "I hope you will enjoy your stay."

A corner of Jack J.'s mouth curled up ironically. "I'm not sure I'd recommend this hotel, but maybe there's been some improvement since the last time I experienced the hospitality of the host."

The guards turned on their heels and disappeared from sight as Jack J. slid down the wall to a sitting position.

When he was sure he was alone, he winced in pain and slowly retrieved the three inch pin he had stealthily removed from the guard's belt and quickly hidden in his pants leg, managing to stab his thigh in the process.

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SG-1 had barely managed to escape the Prior's magic and were running for the gate as quickly as they could. Upon arriving, Daniel frantically dialed Earth and Cameron sent the GDO code as soon as the shimmering pool sprang to life. The foursome dove into it, piling up clumsily on top of one another on the other side, as Teal'c shouted "Iris!"

The protective device slid in place as SG-1 climbed to their feet and went to meet their CO.

"What happened?" Hank Landry demanded.

"Ask Teal'c!" Cameron said in an aggravated tone.

"Colonel Mitchell, how was I to know that Sandika had been turned into a Prior?"

"I should have trusted my instincts!"

"Colonel!" Landry snapped.

"General, we were all misled," Daniel said to diffuse the tension. "We thought Sandika could provide us with some information, and indeed he did, just not what we were expecting…"

"Go get checked out by medical. We'll debrief in two hours, hopefully General O'Neill and Colonel Carter will be back by then." Landry dismissed them.

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It was the third base Jack and Sam had visited and so far, they had not even managed to retrieve working Goa'uld technology. They were getting desperate.

Jack navigated through the streets of the large settlement as if on autopilot. Sam had been surprised at first, not understanding why a Goa'uld lord would want to set a base in such a busy place, but Jack had assured her that this was only one of many entrances to a huge complex. Suddenly, the General entered a small building and disappeared. She was disoriented a moment until she heard his disembodied voice.

"Carter!"

"Jack?"

An arm grabbed her and she found herself in a barely lit chamber, pressed against a hard body.

"You should be more careful, Colonel." His breath tickled her ear.

"You have some talent at disappearing, General…" she replied.

Jack released her. "Okay, watch this." He raised his arms.

"You want to fl…" and suddenly he was gone, "Jack?"

He reappeared. "Cool, huh?"

She sighed. "What did you do?"

"Stay close to me, Carter, and learn."

She stepped to stand in front of him and once again, he raised his arms.

The moment she noticed his arms crossed an invisible beam, they were sent to another chamber in Baal's base. This one was richly lit and buzzing with noise. Jack and Sam crept out of the chamber cautiously and alternated their position, always keeping watch, their weapons at the ready.

Upon hearing an approaching patrol, they slipped into a room and waited for the noise to disappear. As they were about to exit the room, a man entered.

Jack raised his P-90 and pointed it to the man. "Who are you?" he asked softly.

"I could ask you the same question if I didn't know who you are, General Jack O'Neill," the man replied calmly. "I'm Kael of the Tok'Ra. We infiltrated this base when Baal gathered what was left of his forces to flee to Earth."

Jack relaxed a bit, yet not entirely.

"You know where Baal is?" Sam asked.

"Not at present, unfortunately. Come, let us go enjoy some more comfortable settings." He beckoned them outside with a sweep of the arm.

"Wait a minute," Sam demanded "Just how do you intend to prove you really are a Tok'Ra?"

Kael smiled. "Malek is here with me, I was on my way to see him."

"Ah, Malek!" Jack quipped. "If he's here, you won't mind leading us to him?" he smiled falsely.

The Tok'Ra nodded tensely and exited the room. He led them through several corridors, sometimes crossing paths with other people who appeared unarmed. They finally reached a large chamber with a long table in the middle. Several people were gathered at the end of it.

Kael turned toward his guests, smiling.

"Malek is there", he said, pointing to a bald man in the middle of the gathering.

Jack frowned, looking at Kael. "Malek?"

Kael's face darkened. "Malek was kept in Baal's cells for some time. He didn't come out of it unscathed. I'm afraid you will find his appearance changed, but he's still the same inside.

The three approached the group and the one Kael had designated as Malek raised his head. He had lost an eye and half of his face was hidden by a leather mask, but he was indeed the same man who had been among the Tok'ra willing to make the doomed Tok'ra/Jaffa alliance work.

"O'Neill? Colonel Carter?" he asked, surprised.

"Malek! Good to see you!" Jack winced.

The other man nodded. "What are you doing here?" he asked as he stepped forward.

"Can we go some place more private?" Sam asked.

"Of course, follow me," Malek beckoned them to another room on the left of the wide one. They entered thea smaller chamber, where Malek sat down behind a large table made of rock and showed Sam and Jack two seats facing it.

"I hope you will forgive my rude behavior out there, but I really did not expect to see you ever again," Malek started.

"Yeah well, the feeling's mutual," Jack quipped.

"I'm sorry, O'Neill, I didn't mean it that way…".

"Save it, Malek, we're here to find Baal. He's abducted one of our own, and we want to rescue him."

Malek's face fell. "I'm afraid I cannot provide you with any information regarding his location. However, our spies have mentioned a renewed activity and interest in Asgard affairs, and we are certain they all trace back to Baal," he offered. "He's our main target right now, too."

Jack was disappointed but he did not let it show. Sam knew though. She had seen the momentary flash in his dark eyes. She put a hand on his arm. "Sir, this is confirmation that he should be the main focus of our search," she said calmly.

Jack stood up. "Malek, it was good to see you again…"

"Wait, there's more." Malek said. "Have you investigated other bases?"

Jack sat back down. "Why? You wanna' know what's there?"

"No, I know Kanaan was well aware of Baal's plans and bases. I was among those who defined his mission to make an inventory of most of Baal's resources, among other things…" he looked at Jack pointedly.

One corner of Jack's mouth rose. "Not much escapes you, huh?"

"I gave you some information," the Tok'ra replied.

"You did… This is the third base we visited, there are three left on my list of main bases. The other ones are secondary but not our main focus now…"

Malek nodded.

"There's one on P9F-324 that I want to raid next…"

"That one is deserted. We discovered it several months ago," Malek interrupted.

"Sir, maybe you could share your knowledge with Malek and narrow down our searches," Sam suggested.

"All right, but just because I'm desperate," Jack agreed reluctantly, making Malek chuckle.

"You haven't changed much, O'Neill."


	3. Chapter 3

Sam punched in the code for the SGC and waited patiently for the gate to activate.

They had discussed the possibility of going straight to one of the two locations Malek had suggested but had agreed on debriefing and recouping a little at the SGC first. Malek was going to send his own people to monitor the activity at both locations and had promised to keep them informed. Jack had no other alternative than to trust him and besides, they both needed the rest.

Jack and Sam finally stepped down the ramp, giving their weapons to the SF in charge, before heading up to the infirmary where Hank Landry came to meet them after a short while.

"SG-1 had an interesting brush with a former contact," Landry stated as Jack patiently held his arm for the nurse to take a sample of his blood.

"So I heard from Walter," Jack said.

Landry chuckled. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Walter always had a soft spot for me, Hank…" Jack shrugged. "He likes to keep me up to date."

"I called a debriefing in an hour; I hope you're up to it. You look like crap, Jack." Landry said sympathetically.

"You would too if you hadn't slept in three days, you know."

"Anyway, briefing in an hour and we'll decide what to do next. SG-1 may have a few interesting bits to share and I'm sure you do too." The older man patted his shoulder while Jack rolled down his sleeve.

Jack was finishing tying up his boots when Sam came into his side of the infirmary.

"You're all right?" he smiled at her.

"I've got firm orders to have a good night's rest, and you do too…" she said.

"I know, I'm just wondering if resting is wise while that overdressed sadistic power monger holds one of ours," he said, worry and tiredness creasing his brow. "Maybe we should debrief and set out on the mission ASAP. I'd feel better if…"

"Oh I don't think so, Jack O'Neill," she interrupted.

Jack looked at her questioningly. "What?"

"Don't' use that tone on me, Jack, I know you. We go to debriefing, and then we sleep, preferably not in the same room if you keep up the sulking act."

"You wouldn't…"

"Try me?" she said, crossing her arms in front of her.

Jack shook his head, chuckling and stood up from the bed before encircling her waist with his arms. "Do I have to say 'yes Sir'?" he murmured in her ear.

"Well, I'm not the one who finds it endearing, but please, be my guest…" she replied, un-phased.

"Let's get that darn briefing under way then, Colonel, so I can rest in good company," he raised his eyebrows suggestively.

Sam shook her head as he exited the infirmary, and followed him to the briefing room.

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"So Malek and his people are out there keeping watch for us until tomorrow where he should report in and give us a better idea regarding Baal's location. He'll also provide the first information on how well the base is guarded," Jack concluded his report. "Malek also told us that Baal's been actively recruiting mercenaries that he pays with Kassa. So the Lucian alliance must be onto something too."

"And yet, you want SG-1 to go and try to gain intelligence about the Ori's next move?" Landry asked.

"Well, from what Teal'c said of their mission, they know where Adria's forces are. That's a good starting point."

"We could also provide you with support when rescuing young O'Neill," Teal'c pointed out.

"True enough but we'll have Malek's people for support and I'm pretty sure we can retrieve Jack J. with them. Malek holds some kind of grudge toward the snake, he'll deal with him, of that I'm sure. When Jack J.'s back with us, Thor and his buddies will be glad to have any intelligence about Adria's whereabouts and plans."

"I can send Dixon to find out what the Ori are about to do since we know in which part of the galaxy Adria has concentrated her efforts, so you can have SG-1 with you," Landry suggested.

"No. Don't lose the main focus, General. If Thor is right, we'll need to act quickly before the Ori find something to counteract the effect of the weapon, or whatever the Asgard will come up with. We'll have a better chance if we keep the element of surprise, and SG1 has dealt several times with Adria. Much as I like Dixon's efficiency, Dave is not Adria's mother." Jack replied.

"Well, I'm not sure I understand why the fact Vala is Adria's mother is necessary for this mission…"

"Adria will not kill us should she take a hold of us, General Landry," Teal'c said calmly looking at Jack for confirmation.

The latter smiled painfully.

"I don't like this plan," Hank sighed.

"Neither do I, but it's the only one that's acceptable." Jack said in a firm voice.

"So what do you want us to do?" Daniel asked.

"Go to Adria's last known coordinates and gather information about her troops, her plans,… whatever you can. Mitchell, Teal'c, be extra careful. Where the Ori have set their pawns, there must be some pockets of resistance. Concentrate on those, infiltrate them if you can. Just come back with as much as you can so we can beat the crap out of these over dramatic conjurers."

"You heard the general, SG-1 go get ready, you leave in two hours," Landry ordered before motioning for Jack to follow him in his office, and closing the door once Jack was inside. "Jack, the VIP quarters have been prepped…" he said with a slight raise of the eyebrows. "Special commendation from Dr. Lam, she ordered you to rest… Colonel Carter's quarters are ready too…" he concluded not missing the annoyed look Jack threw him. "Carolyn specifically said 'rest', Jack. Besides, it's my base, my rules…" he smiled.

"I sometimes wonder what those stars they pinned on my shoulders are for," Jack grumbled, rising from his chair.

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The pain in Jack J.'s thigh was subsiding. He regularly massaged the area, trying to rest despite the frequent passage of guards outside his cell and not knowing exactly when Baal would finally tell him what he wanted with him. Deep inside he dreaded the confrontation and he had the fierce desire to end this right then. But old reaction patterns die hard and the trained military man inside of him advised patience and calm. So he relaxed as best as he could and reviewed his desperate plan over and over, fingering the pin absently.

He must have dozed off for a while because he barely realized that the door of his cell had opened before he felt the butt end of a staff weapon on his back.

"Lord Baal wants to see you now!" the guard barked.

Jack J. groaned and stood up slowly. Without a belt, his jeans slipped down a bit, like they had upon his arrival. Concealing the pin in his palm, he nonchalantly grabbed the waistband of his pants with the same hand.

Another guard was waiting for them at the entrance of his cell. He put manacles on his wrists before nudging him forward into the corridor. They did not tie his feet this time, probably not too concerned with him escaping.

As they walked, Jack J. observed the corridors they were walking along, drawing mental maps of the place and noticing every detail of importance. Academic life had its perks, he thought amused, it kept the brain active, probably more so than his counterpart's stuck in an office at the Pentagon. They eventually reached a middle-sized chamber where he recognized the familiar silhouette of the former system lord, his back to him.

Baal turned to greet his guest with a sardonic smile. The guards stepped backwards, turned and exiting the chamber, sliding the closing panel shut.

Jack J. kept the awkward stance, wanting to weigh his options before acting, wanting to be sure the System Lord's over confidence was still his weak point.

"I am sorry for keeping you waiting," Baal said ironically. "Your results are rather promising if your blood samples are any indication."

He turned away and Jack J. saw vials of what he presumed was his own blood. He also caught a glimpse of the ribbon device on the Goa'uld's other hand and knew that he needed to act now…

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Jack and Sam met Malek at the designated coordinates. The Tok'ra and a few of his men guided them silently to a small cabin in ruins by a large lake.

Jack looked at his guide with raised eyebrows.

Malek smiled slightly. "The cabin is only camouflage for the rings platform."

"Oh…. Then Kanaan's information wasn't up to date, they were supposed to be in the middle of a fishermen's village," Jack frowned.

"There used to be a village indeed, but they were Jaffa. When the Rebellion won Dakara, they destroyed the village. Baal had this makeshift ruins constructed," he swiped the area with his hand, "to fit in the landscape."

"So what's the situation?" Sam pressed all business again.

"A few of my operatives have infiltrated his ranks of mercenaries. He must be rather desperate in recruiting troops, he's less careful about the people he hires. They reported that a new prisoner was brought in a couple of days ago. The landing pad is on top of this mountain," he showed the mountain dominating the lake. "The base is wide but there is only one level. We know of two ways of entry…"

"There's probably more," Jack cut in.

"At least one more, yes, but I'll leave my men here to cover this one. There is a Tel'Tac in the planet's atmosphere monitoring energy coming and going from the landing pad on the mountain. They will be able to disable the ship's engines from above, cutting this escape route." Malek concluded.

"How many people have you got inside?" Sam asked.

"Seven." Malek replied.

"It's not a Hell of a lot," Jack said pensively.

"Indeed, but remember Baal's troops are mercenaries. They are not as trained, obedient, and cohesive as Jaffas…" Malek stated. "Besides, I'm expecting more troops in a moment."

"You think a diversion would work?" Jack asked.

Malek nodded.

"Sir, maybe small C4 detonations would do the trick?" Sam suggested.

"I was thinking along these lines but remember we need Baal alive. That's the condition, O'Neill." Malek warned.

Jack nodded. "Now, do you know where the cells are?"

Kael stepped forward and kneeled, starting to draw a rough plan of the base. "As far as we know, the cells are roughly at an equal distance between the mountain and the lake. It's far from this entrance, but since the other one is obviously unavailable, we'll have to deal with it."

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Teal'c crouched into the narrow entrance of the cave. Big weaponry was definitely not an option for this people, he mused. After emerging from the primary tunnel, he was able to progress on all fours for a while before finally reaching a wide chamber where several fires illuminated the small encampment inside.

Cameron was in deep conversation with Anko, the leader of the resistance. The latter had lost his daughter Lamika to the Ori, she had become one of Adria's servants, but the old man had used this to his own advantage. Hence Lamika had unknowingly become a source of information about Adria's whereabouts and plans.

When SG-1 had arrived they had of course drawn attention, and Romans, the blacksmith of the village had immediately taken action: the Ori had to know about those intruders, he had proclaimed to the people of the village in a close assembly. It had been decided that he would ambush SG-1 and confiscate their weapons with the help of his aides.

Once the team had been effectively captured, Romans showed them to the village before announcing he was going to bring them to the Ori base beyond the forest.

They had left the village under much cheering but once in the forest, Romans had taken a totally different route and had brought them to their former village leader Anko, finally revealing which side he was really on.

As he emerged from the tent SG-1 had been given Daniel spotted Teal'c. He smiled and met his friend half way.

"There is an unusual fervor of activity in the village, Daniel Jackson. As far as I could understand, people say the Priors are going to announce something soon."

"This seems to go along with what Mitchell has been observing too. Anko said Lamika was very excited about some discovery Adria made. Apparently she is on the verge of finding a way to the Sangraal," Daniel concluded in a somber voice.

"But she has not found it yet," Teal'c pressed.

"No. From what Lamika said, they have found scriptures that offer several possibilities. As it happens, we may be closer to it than them since we already know of two planets that the Knights of Arthur visited. On the other hand we may have been totally misled. Lamika has yet to tell her father what Adria is so excited about. One thing is certain though, Adria is less cautious. She must be close or she's found something that she can use against us. I still think our confrontation with Morgan la Fey gave us some important clues in our quest to try and find Merlin's weapon…"

"I see… Perhaps this is why Colonel Mitchell is so agitated, then," Teal'c raised an eyebrow.

Daniel smiled at that and looked briefly at his gesticulating companion. "Oh you know Cameron… He needs to expel his extra energy…"


	4. Chapter 4

Jack J.'s adjusted his grip on the pin and as the Goa'uld turned back to his vials, he lunged forward. Baal did not see the attack coming. Youth and intense military training gave Jack J. a velocity of which his duplicate would have been envious. He seized the System Lord mid-torso and swiftly drove the pin into the back of his neck.

The Goa'uld gasped. Jack J. drew the pin out then pushed it back in. Adrenalin was coursing through his veins and he was not entirely sure what he was stabbing at. He met some resistance and doubled his efforts. He could feel the System Lord weakening from the attack but Baal was still struggling and Jack J. had to tighten his grip on the Goa'uld. Finally, his movements became more uncoordinated and slow. Jack J. started letting go but in a sudden desperate attempt, Baal managed to hit an alarm button. Jack J. let him fall to the ground, turned on his heels and ran for the door.

Upon reaching it, it slid open to reveal two men. The element of surprise was for Jack J. and he had no trouble pushing past them. The guards rushed into the room and curiosity caused Jack J. to turn briefly in order to see what they were going to do.

Both guards knelt next to a gurgling Baal, then gently started dragging him to the back of the room and pulled a curtain. Jack J. resumed running,

He had mapped out the area he had been kept in and knew it was a dead end. So he took the opposite direction, hoping he would be able to find the exit. He thought he heard some explosions and wondered idly what it was before swiftly concealing himself behind a pillar as atroop of armed men passed him.

He resumed his course. His feet were starting to hurt as they pounded the rough ground. He rounded a corner and suddenly came face to face with an SGC uniform.

"Jack!" he heard a very recognizable feminine voice exclaim.

"Sam?" he asked, bewildered and surprised to find General Jack O'Neill and Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter surrounded by a whole squadron of Tok'ra in the corridor.

"We've come to rescue you! How did you escape?" General O'Neill asked.

"I disabled Baal, he's in a chamber back there", Jack J. gestured with his thumb, his wrists still bound by the manacles.

Jack turned toward Kael. "Okay, you take care of the base, Carter and I will take Jack J. back to the SGC. You want some re-enforcement?"

"I do not think Baal's disorganized forces will be too much of a problem, as evidenced by the guards next to the entry way but help is always appreciated," Kael nodded.

"I'll ask Reynolds and another team to rendezvous with Malek outside and take his orders from him," Jack said.

The Tok'ra nodded. Turning towards Jack J., he asked: "Where is Baal?"

"I'm not sure, I ran as fast as I could and I turned several times. Behind me, I suppose, next to the cells area, there's a chamber at a crossroads."

"You're sure he's still there?" Sam asked.

"Well considering I stabbed him in the neck with a pin…" Jack J. snickered.

Jack looked at him in surprise.

Jack J. shrugged. "I used whatever means I had. His guards are not Jaffa, they're far less cautious…"

"There probably was a sarcophagus," Kael stated.

Jack J. shook his head, "I can't tell… He had a ribbon device, and a lot of other Goa'uld paraphernalia. He probably had a sarcophagus, too. I saw his guards drag him to the back of the room where there was a curtained area. I think I stabbed him where it hurt the most." He added with a proud smile. "Now somebody please, untie my hands and since you suggested this yourself, let's move the Hell outta here. I'm freezing my butt and socks are not the ideal footwear to run on this type of ground!"

"Right," Jack mumbled. He turned to Kael, "Keep us posted on your progress."

Kael and his team left them behind. Explosions could still be heard throughout the facility as Sam and Jack took Jack J. back in the direction they had come from.

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The wormhole closed behind them and they stepped down the ramp, handing their weapons to the SFs in charge. Since neither Jack nor Sam had been carrying any regulation exploratory pack to the planet, they had no spare items and Jack J. was still in his socks which were starting to show patches of blood from the abrasions of walking on the uneven ground.

"Dr. Lam to the Gate room!" Landry ordered in the microphone.

Jack motioned for Hank to get down to the Gate room as orderlies came to take care of Jack J.

"General, I'd be happier if you'd send Reynolds and a couple of other teams out there to help the Tok'ra. Not that I don't trust them…" he winced as Sam threw him a dark look. "Okay, I don't trust them… It should be easy though, and I don't want the slimy bastard to escape again."

Landry nodded and turned to look up to Walter in the control room, "Call Reynolds and SG Units 7 and 5, I want them down and geared up for action in two!"

"Yes Sir! SG-16, SG-5 and SG-7 in the Gate room immediately!"

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A couple of days resting and debriefing reminded Jack J. of old patterns that he cherished. He had recounted his ordeal and given information on how the Asgard research had leaked. Afterwards, Thor had granted him a little reprieve in order to have time to secure their networks before taking him for experimentation on Orilla.

He was in the commissary eating breakfast when the klaxons blared, announcing SG-1's return. He quickly finished the remainder of his coffee and proceeded to the briefing room even if he knew it would be a while before SG1 made it there. As he exited the elevator, the klaxons blared again. He ran to the control room as the gate dialed. Both generals and Sam arrived at the same time and waited for the wormhole to form itself.

"It's Colonel Reynolds, Sir, radio transmission." Walter supplied.

"General Landry?" the disembodied voice came.

"Yes, Son, sit. rep?"

"The situation is under control, Sir. We had to run a complete check of the base and neutralize a few resistance areas but Baal's forces have been overcome. Malek and his lieutenants are currently down there deciding the fate of the Goa'uld."

Jack turned to General Landry."All right, once SG1 has been debriefed, why don't Jack J. and I go there and see for ourselves before the Tok'ra do whatever they want with him?" he suggested quietly. "As I said before, Malek seems to know how to hold a grudge."

Landry nodded. "Could also be interesting to finally get a grip on Baal…" he replied in the same tone.

"Okay, Reynolds, this is General O'Neill. Jack J. and I are coming through, expect us in two hours at most. Tell Malek we want to see Baal before he does anything with him."

"Yes, Sir. He's been with Baal, who is in the sarcophagus, every since you returned, Sir."

"Don't tell me he wants to revive him?" Jack exclaimed.

"I don't know, Sir but apparently, Baal is not well…"

"Okay, we'll try and come as soon as possible, just tell Malek we're on our way…"

"Yes, Sir. Reynolds out."

Jack looked at Landry frowning. "It's a good thing we sent those SG teams in."

Landry nodded approvingly. A commotion behind them told them SG1 had finished their medical examination.

"I take it your mission has been successful?" Landry asked his flag team upon entering the briefing room.

"As a matter of fact it has," Daniel started out excitedly as he hooked his laptop to the video system. "We got the location of the last planet King Arthur set off to in their quest for the Sangraal. We had already two, Castiana and Sahal, our operation on P2X-511 provided us with a third: Vagonbrei. We visited them all and found nothing of interest, except some empty ruins. Then I put all the coordinates into my laptop and noticed something really intriguing…" he trailed off and grabbed the remote control for the large screen in order to better explain their discoveries.

A chart of the galaxy appeared.

"The bright points you see are the three planets. Now if one measures the distance between them all…" lines appeared between the points, drawing a triangle. "They are perfectly equidistant."

"All right, and that will help us, how?" Jack asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Oh wait, General, there's more …." Cameron said.

"The resistance agents on the planet that was most recently conquered by the Ori, reported that Adria kept mentioning an elusive fourth planet…" Teal'c started.

"… And I had an idea!" Vala cut him off excitedly, causing Jack to frown.

"Yes," Daniel resumed. "If you put Camelot's coordinates into the previous scheme you have…" he motioned to the screen once more, "a perfect tetrahedron." he paused. "We have the location of the fourth planet and it is Camelot. Adria still misses one of the four, although I'm not sure which."

Silence descended upon the room until Landry broke it. "This is very interesting, Dr. Jackson, but…"

"That's where we're stuck, General," Cameron replied. "Jackson thinks this is no coincidence, and I'm inclined to think it's not, but we don't know what it means…"

Jack sighed audibly "Carter, maybe you can help them figure this out." he suggested.

Sam nodded. "Yes, Sir."

"All right, Jack J. and I are going back to Baal's base. General, you'll tell us when you got any news from Thor?" Jack asked Landry as he prepared to leave the control room.

Landry nodded "Of course, Jack. So far the attempts at reaching him have been met with nothing. He must still be trying to secure their networks before pursuing the experimentations with your clone…"

"Hey!" Jack J. exclaimed.

Jack frowned.

"With all due respect, General, I may not be the original, I'm flesh and blood like you, and I do have a name, even if it sounds ridiculous!" Jack J. corrected. "I'm not a lab rat!"

"Enough!" Jack interrupted. "Jack J., go get geared up, we're leaving in ten!"

"Yes, Sir," Jack J. rolled his eyes.

"Smartass!" Jack murmured.

Sam chuckled softly, shaking her head and earning a dark look from both Jack and Landry. She quickly schooled her features, coughing discreetly.

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Jack and Jack J. stepped onto Baal's planet and walked from the gate to where they had entered the facility the last time. Several Tok'ra were ushering handcuffed mercenaries to a cargo ship. Kael was among them.

Jack motioned for Jack J. to follow him and stepped toward Kael.

"General O'Neill," the man nodded.

"Reynolds told me you had managed to take control of the base?" Jack raised his eyebrows.

"Yes, Colonel Reynolds is in the base with his teams guarding the last prisoners in the cells before we take them to another location," Kael replied.

"Oh?"

"I'm afraid this needs to remain secret, General, no harm will be done to them if that's what you fear," Kael smiled condescendingly.

Jack narrowed his eyes a minute, then, "I'll go see Reynolds. Where's Malek?"

"Down with Baal."

"You don't see any inconvenience if we interrogate him a little," Jack's smile did not reach his eyes.

"You'll have to discuss this with Malek. Apparently the other O'Neill managed to hurt him pretty badly…" Kael eyed Jack J.

"Yeah well, he was going to torture me; I wasn't going to be nice," Jack J. deadpanned.

"We'll go and try to find out, thanks." Jack said to Kael, grabbing Jack J.'s elbow and directing him to the ring platform inside the abandoned house.

In an instant they were inside the base. A couple of Tok'ra guards were monitoring the ring platform, but other than that, the base seemed deserted. They started walking in silence down the corridors toward where Jack J. thought the cells area were. Same height, same walking patterns, same men save a few genes for one and gray hair for the other.

Jack J. observed his duplicate more closely; there was something about him, that he had not seen the last time they had met two years ago. He stored the information and promised himself to ask about it later. For now, they had reached a crossroads and Jack had stopped.

"Where to?" he asked.

Jack J. smiled. "The cells? That way," he crooked his thumb to the right. "Baal's chamber, this way," he pointed in the other direction.

Jack smiled knowingly. "Great minds think alike…" he muttered before taking the left corridor.

Jack J. rolled his eyes and followed his counterpart.

They arrived in front of the entrance of the chamber where Jack J. had been brought to face his captor. A couple of Tok'ra were barring the way, but after a few words from both men, they let them in with obvious reluctance.

Baal was alive but barely, lying by his sarcophagus on a makeshift bed. Malek, and a few other Tok'ra who were looking puzzled and talking among themselves, were standing by his side. Malek reacted to their entrance by turning and stepping towards them**.**

"How is he?" Jack asked.

"He's dying," Malek said simply. "The injury you inflicted upon the symbiote was lethal, and the sarcophagus barely kept him from dying right there and then. We kept him there in stasis until recently," he added, looking at Jack J. "You knew there was a sarcophagus, didn't you?"

"Negative. I just saw the guards taking him behind the curtain. I suspected there was something of importance there, but I wasn't particularly keen on going to ask. I was trying to save my butt then…"

"In any case, I'm not gonna cry now that I've seen him…" Jack said changing the subject as the tension rose.

The disfigured man turned to him sharply. "I understand your point of view, O'Neill but Baal had some valuable information that could have helped us in many different fields."

"So, what now?" Jack J. asked.

"We can save the host and try and gain some of Baal's knowledge through him," Malek said.

"So basically you save the host and keep him as a living library of information?" Jack asked. "I hated the guy's guts but not to this point!"

"No!" Malek replied. "We will offer the host the possibility of taking in a Tok'ra symbiote. The Goa'uld was in too long for the procedure we have developed for removing symbiotes to work without risking the life of the host now that he's wounded. If a Tok'ra symbiote takes this host after we remove the Goa'uld, then he will be able to save him and gain knowledge of what Baal knew for the most part. Including the various horrors he has committed in his life…" he concluded in a rush.

"So the Tok'ra has to be strong, huh?" Jack said more as a statement than a question.

"He has to, indeed." Malek acknowledged.

Jack sighed, taking his cap off to rub his forehead before putting it back on. "So? Who's the lucky one?" he asked.

"I am," Malek replied solemnly.

"Excuse me?" Jack J. frowned.

"My host is dying. Baal injected me with a poison that slowly eats at my host's flesh. The mask that you see on my face is not to hide burns, it is to hide the wound that is growing a bit more each day, as do the ones I have all over my body," Malek explained. "My symbiote cannot suppress the pain and heal the body at the same time."

"How ironic," Jack murmured.

"When you came in, we were just talking to him about this possibility. The Goa'uld is too weak to take control, but it is not dead yet and we have only a little time before it releases the toxins inside his host's body. We must hurry," Malek said.

"All right, go, do whatever you have to do, we'll see what Reynolds has to say about the prisoners but the deal is that you tell us anything that could be important to us, too," Jack said, not convinced by his own words.

"I promise you that if it is of some importance for the Tau'ri, then I will gladly share the information with you," Malek said with honesty, surprising them. He looked at Jack J. then, "You provided me with a new body and killed the one who did that to me, this is the least I can do," the Tok'ra concluded, slightly bowing his head.

"Right…. We'll be expecting you at the SGC when you're done," Jack frowned.

"I will come," Malek said, retracing his steps toward the fallen system lord.


	5. Chapter 5

Cameron entered Daniel's lab. The latter was reading Ancient books, a notepad by his side, while Vala was absently toying with a pen.

"Hey guys!" Mitchell said with a small wave of his hand. "What're you doing?"

"Well our resident archaeologist here thinks he has a lead…" Vala started, only to be interrupted by Daniel who closed his book noisily in a cloud of ancient dust.

"Morgan was trying to tell us something, but I can't seem to figure out what!" Daniel exclaimed, his hands flying up in frustration.

"Well, she gave us the name of two planets and a riddle… Three into one, three into one, said we had two, we needed to find the third and the fourth would appear…" Mitchell shrugged.

"Wait!!" Vala said with an excited look on her face.

Both men turned towards her, frowning.

"What did you say?" Vala asked, her face alight.

"What? That the fourth would appear?" Cameron asked, "We already know the four…"

"No… before that!" Vala demanded.

"Three into one," Daniel supplied patiently.

"Yes! That's it! Don't you see?" Vala exclaimed, hitting the inside of her left hand with her right fist. Facing the puzzled looks of both men, she shook her head and left Daniel's lab to go to Sam's. "Follow me!"

Both men looked at each other, shrugged and followed their team mate to the neighboring lab.

Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter was obliviously hunched over her laptop running calculations when the buzzing alien woman entered her sanctuary.

"Colonel Carter!" she called. "Can you show us the three dimensional map with the tetrahedron?"

Sam looked at her a bit annoyed, then saw both Cameron and Daniel enter her lab and frowned. "Errr…. Okay…" she replied, reducing her current window and launching the mapping program.

On the screen the four dots representing the planets appeared. Vala moved to stand behind Sam and jumped in excitement. "We know the location of the Sangraal!"

"What?" Mitchell asked, intrigued.

Vala rolled her eyes. "The pyramid is a visual display of 'three into one'. Three addresses into one. That's what Morgan was telling us!"

"Oh my God!" Sam breathed as she was still staring at the screen.

Daniel looked at her, understanding slowly dawning as Vala continued. "The Sangraal's planet address is made up of symbols from each of the other three worlds!"

"Of course! You're right!" Sam exclaimed, starting to type furiously on her laptop. "It's so obvious! Why didn't I see it!" she muttered more to herself than for the benefit of her friends.

"But the number of combinations must be enormous!" Daniel pointed out.

"Well, we just need to cross reference the addresses from our databases with those of the three planets, and keep known planet addresses…"

"Huh?" Cameron asked, frowning.

Sam shook her head and set to work. "This program should help us, but I'm afraid given the number of symbols and the amount of addresses in the database, we could be looking at dozens, maybe hundreds of permutations, it could take some time…"

Mitchell looked down grimacing, while Vala let her head fall on her open hands, and Daniel rubbed his eyes underneath his glasses.

"… Or maybe just one…" Sam stated, her eyes widening as she saw the result of the computer search on her screen.

Vala stood up and took a peek behind Sam's shoulder, a huge smile spreading on her face. "Yes!!"

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The briefing room was crowded.

All the seats were taken and Jack and Jack J. were not even seated. Thor was taking a large part of the room –for a creature the size of an Asgard- with his chair; Landry was seated next to him and to Woolsey on the other side. Both Reynolds and Dixon were there with their teams, too. In a middle of the table a conference phone was buzzing with the chatter of a few men. SG-1 were all seated but Sam, who was standing next to Jack and fidgeting with a remote control.

"Calm down, Carter," Jack murmured, leaning toward her. "The joints chiefs can't see you're not wearing your dress blues!"

She shot him an aggravated look but had no time to reply since Landry called the meeting to order.

"Sirs," he said in a loud voice so the people on the other end of the conference phone could hear "Mr. Woolsey, General O'Neill and myself have called this meeting to decide, in a manner of speaking, the fate of the galaxy, Colonel Carter has made an interesting discovery with the help of Vala MalDoran. As for Thor, he also has some important things to ask from us and most of all," he looked pointedly at Jack J., "from Cadet Jack J. O'Neill, who's recently been rescued from Baal." He paused. "General O'Neill, you have anything to add?"

Jack cleared his throat and addressed his remarks to the speaker phone. "Yes Sirs. The Tok'ra Malek should join us as soon as his state allows it."

"Good," Landry resumed. "Now Colonel Carter, can you explain to us what you have discovered?"

"Yes, sir," Sam nodded, switching the large screen on, which was connected to a similar screen in the conference room of the Joint Chiefs, and beginning her presentation about the Sangraal's probable location. As she was reaching the end of her speech, the klaxons sounded. A short while after they had subsided, Malek, Kael and another aide entered the briefing room to join the meeting, earning surprised looks from Woolsey as they made their way over to stand next to Jack. Despite being aware of the transformation, both Jack and Jack J. couldn't suppress a frown at the sight of Malek's new host.

Carter resumed. "So what's been decided is to send SG-1 to the designated coordinates so they can try and find the Sangraal."

"SG1, minus Lieutenant Colonel Carter." Jack chimed in "Sorry, Carter, you're with me, and we're going to Orilla," he added upon seeing the surprised look on her face.

"I believe now is the time I should speak," Thor said in his usual calm voice as he stepped down from his Asgard chair to join both O'Neills at one end of the room. "The presence of Colonel Carter is highly wished to help us complete our research. Our computer models show that the weapon we have designed should work. However, we need the O'Neills and their genetic material for the next phase of the experiments. Colonel Carter is also needed to tune the weapon at best with her knowledge of human physiology, and especially O'Neill's."

If Sam could have turned a darker shade of crimson, she probably would have.

All previously ignorant eyes in the room looked alternatively from Sam to Jack as Daniel, Teal'c and Landry smiled smugly. Jack J., frowned, understanding slowly dawning.

Jack winced and stepped ahead. "Yes, well… Ahem… Not to say that our private life is boring, but we need to focus on the main tasks here…"

"I agree," Woolsey unexpectedly jumped to his rescue. "And for one, what is Baal doing here, unguarded?"

The fearsome image of the system Lord stepped ahead, smiling, and inclined his head toward the IOA representative. "Baal is no more," he spoke in the host's voice "I am Malek of the Tok'ra."

"That's what I was getting at," Jack mumbled.

Malek turned slightly to face him. "If you would allow me, O'Neill,"

Jack pinched his lips and waved his hand dismissively. "Sure, go ahead…"

Malek then proceeded to explain what happened after Baal's capture, specifically talking to Woolsey. He paused, letting the information sink in.

"So you're here to demonstrate that the procedure worked?" Woolsey enquired.

Malek smiled. "Not really. By mutual agreement with O'Neill, it was decided that I would share any relevant information with you and that is the reason for my presence. I know several things that you do not about the quest for the Sangraal, among them the name of the protector that will be important in the final trials. The only condition is that I come with you," Malek concluded with a slight bow toward Mitchell.

"It's not up to me…" Mitchell shook his head.

"Consider yourself a part of the expedition," Landry interrupted, speaking to the Tok'ra.

Malek nodded.

"So I take it we now have all the actors of this final plan of yours, General O'Neill?" One of the joint chiefs spoke.

Jack cleared his throat. "Sirs, I am fully aware that it may seem like we're breaking up our resources by having these two irons in the fire, figuratively speaking. But it is our best shot at striking a decisive blow to the Ori. Adria won't know what's coming,"

Woolsey interjected. "You are also aware that I will have to express these precise concerns to the IOA, General?"

"Do what you have to do, Woolsey, I don't need your approval to launch this mission but your presence at this meeting was requested by the president," Jack deadpanned.

The IOA representative frowned "Like you said, General, we are breaking up crucial resources, the risks may not be worth it…"

"Mr. Woolsey," one of the joint chiefs interrupted, "if Jack O'Neill hadn't taken measured risks several times in the past, we probably wouldn't be having this meeting right now. Your concerns are noted and the president will read your report as thoroughly as he has in the past, but we need to make a decision. General O'Neill's plan has been deemed reasonable by this assembly."

"Very well," Woolsey sighed. "Note that I am not opposed to the plan, I'm simply worried."

"Your job is to be worried, Woolsey, ours is to take action," Jack affirmed. "Now Sirs, I suggest all the participants to the plan get geared up and ready to depart."

SG1 stood up, signaling the end of the meeting, while Landry went into his office with Woolsey in tow.

Thor looked at both O'Neills "We will return to our ship. We will take your advice this time, O'Neill, and I am informing you that all three of you will be transported to the deck in 20 of your minutes. Please be ready by then." The small alien nodded then disappeared in a flash of light.

Jack turned to Sam. "Well there's some improvement…" he shrugged.

"I hate him so much right now!" she murmured.

Jack chuckled putting his arms around her waist as the briefing room was now deserted. "I'm sorry… I guess we're going to need to invite the joint chiefs to the wedding too…" he said, kissing the top of her head.

"The wedding?" she asked in a small voice.

Jack looked at her raising his eyebrows in an unsure manner "I thought after two years we could… It's not as if we need to, it's just… If you don't want to we'll just…"

"No, it has nothing to do with that… Jack…" she cut him looking straight in the eyes. "I love you…" she smiled. "We'll talk more about this later, okay?"

"Sure…"

She gave him a quick peck on the lips then stepped back a little, beaming. "How much time did Thor say we had?"

"20 minutes?"

"Then maybe we should get moving?" she winked before turning and heading to the corridor.

Jack smiled to himself and looked at Landry's office where he seemed to be in deep conversation with Woolsey. He sighed. He supposed he should say 'goodbye' before heading out to Orilla… Suddenly a thought occurred to him: where was Jack J.?...

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Sam peeked into the locker room after knocking and figured she was safe since no one responded. She went to her locker and started unbuttoning the jacket of her blue BDU when she heard fabric rustling in the second half of the room on the other side of the lockers.

She frowned. "Hello?"

"Yeah," she heard in an unmistakable voice.

"Jack?" she asked, surprised as she rounded the lockers to check who was on the other side of the room. "Oh!" She said, quickly pinching her open blouse shut.

Jack J. turned his head toward her, an obvious smirk on his face. Irritation overwhelmed her. She was about to say something nasty when the sad look in his eyes stopped her. She sat on the bench opposite him. He was already fully dressed and she had an uneasy feeling upon seeing Jack O'Neill so young, only it was not exactly Jack O'Neill.

"What is it?" she asked in a gentle voice.

Jack J. smiled sadly and shook his head "Nothing…"

"Jack?" she persisted.

Jack J. sighed and looked her in the eyes. "I guess I hadn't realized that your relationship with him could have finally gotten beyond professional once the job didn't get in the way." He replied.

"Ah…"

"Yes, ah."

"Look it's not…."

"No, you've got nothing to explain, Sam… I can call you 'Sam'?" he asked.

She smiled and nodded.

"I know the feeling, remember? It's just so difficult sometimes to be the copy, you know?" he said, defeated.

"Jack, you're not a copy… You might have been the second Loki created you, yes, but from then on, you started on your individual path. You're Jack J. O'Neill, Air force cadet and you have another chance at a lot of things. I know for a fact that Jack would have wanted that chance…."

"That's where you're wrong, Sam." He interrupted in a soft voice. "I was the same Jack O'Neill, once, remember?"

There was an awkward silence. "Okay, so let's say that your life sucks…" Sam started.

"No! That's not what I meant!… I…. Sam…. I may have had…" he hesitated then crooked both fingers from both hands into quotation marks. "'girlfriends' since the first day Jack dropped me at the high school, they cannot replace you, and never will. Sara, I could stop thinking of her day and night at some point and I really loved her, we had a great marriage until…. Well…" he paused briefly then resumed "… But you I can't. It's been four years, Sam, and it's like it was only a day. I don't know if the hormones are helping making me feel that way but I can't help it. I wish you and Jack all that you deserve…" he snorted. "I just… Don't take this the wrong way, Sam, but I'll always… feel… something I shouldn't for you…" he said finally, once again looking straight into her eyes.

Sam smiled sadly and opened her arms, the fact that her jacket was unbuttoned forgotten. Jack J. hugged her fiercely for a moment, and laid a chaste kiss on her cheek. Then he pulled back a little, his trademark cocky smile back in full force.

"I'd never had pegged you for a flasher, Colonel Carter!" he winked as Sam rolled her eyes and stood up to go back to her locker.

"That wouldn't have happened if you'd answered my knock, cadet!" she called from the other side of the room. "Besides, I'm wearing the standard issued Air Force bra… Nothing flashy there!"

Jack J. chuckled and exited the locker room.


	6. Chapter 6

Jack J. had to admit he really liked the peaceful atmosphere on Orilla. But after 8 days stuck in a lab with Asgards taking both his and Jack's blood, putting them both into various machines, and running simulations with an oblivious Sam, he was going nuts.

Today, Thor had finally allowed him to rest a little and he had chosen to go hiking. He had slipped into his BDU and military boots with indescribable pleasure and gone outside the city into the forest. He had found a nice spot overlooking the Asgard city complex and had stopped to enjoy the scenery for a while.

Humans should really take Asgard advice when it came to preserving the environment, he mused. They were probably the most technologically advanced race in the entire galaxy and yet, no pollution could be detected around the city. Vegetation was luxuriant and judging by the many sounds he could hear in the forest, animal life was abundant too. He could live here… Except that there was no lake or trace of running water. The latter brought a frown to his lips.

"Water runs deep underground," Jack interrupted his thoughts before sitting next to him on the ground, matching his cross legged pose. "Ouch!" he grumbled, quickly extending his legs. "Guess you must appreciate not feeling that pain, huh?" he mumbled, smiling briefly.

"Yeah well… There's that…" Jack J. retorted while continuing his quiet observation of the Asgard world. "You say there's water underground?" he asked after a moment.

"Yeah, they have no rivers nor lakes or oceans here… Water is underground. They have vast amounts of fresh water in huge caves resulting from ancient subterranean glaciers. That's why the vegetation is so important."

"And how do the animals drink?" Jack J. asked, watching the other man with curiosity.

"Ah that I don't know… I only know about the water because I once asked Thor about fishing…" Jack smiled.

"And here I thought this was Paradise!" Jack J. snorted.

"Look I…" Jack started.

"It's okay, Jack, you don't need to explain."

"I wasn't gonna…" Jack dismissed. "I just…" he sighed. "Don't be a stranger, okay?"

"It's not easy, Jack…" Jack J. replied, playing with small rocks between his feet. "You of all people should know that. And now that I know about you and Sam…"

"We're getting married, and I'd like you to attend," Jack blurted out clumsily.

Jack J. looked at him in surprise. "Talk about twisting the knife in the open wound!"

"I know Sam would want you there," Jack said softly, looking at the scenery before him.

"I don't know…" Jack J. said after a moment. "It would be too painful…"

Jack rose on his feet. "Well, promise you'll think about it, okay?"

"Why did you allow me to live?" Jack J. asked softly.

Jack sighed. "If I remember correctly, you were far from opposed to the idea…"

"That's because I hadn't foreseen all the consequences…"

"So you want to bite the bullet because Sam and I are together?" Jack said irritated.

"I'm not suicidal, Jack! I just want to know the reason you asked Thor to modify my DNA so I could live… I'm not so sure I'd have and I was you… Or you were me… Well… you get what I mean…"

Jack sat back down and looked ahead of him. "Do you think it's easy for me?" he asked softly. "Sometimes I'm feeling horribly guilty for putting you through that bullshit but I've done despicable things in my life and for once I wanted to do something good, except it seems to be biting me in the ass every time I get the reports on how you're doing."

"Oh?"

Jack looked at the younger man. "I'm proud of you, Jack. I'm proud that you've chosen to go through the academy again, I'm thrilled at the prospect of your career path, you'll make full bird at 30, maybe even sooner, and you'll have years ahead of you for field action with a tremendous amount of experience and knowledge… That's what I miss the most, action. My knees are shot, I'm an old warhorse, but I knew field operations were done for me when I accepted my first star. Once again I did it for the greater good, because I couldn't stand the thought of not being there for them…. For her… Even if she was engaged to that cop…"

"Pete?" Jack J. asked.

"Yeah… I loved her enough to let her go, but it hurt like Hell. So I know the feeling." he added in a softer voice, his look becoming distant. "I still asked because somehow this time, she's not with a stranger…"

Jack J. snorted. "No, she's not… But it hurts like Hell…" He threw a stone ahead of him. "I'll be there," he finally said, looking at Jack.

"Thanks…" the other man said, starting down the path he had come up. After a few steps, he stopped and turned back to the still immobile young man. "By the way, Sam's in the lab until late tonight, she had something important to ask Thor. The weapon is ready and currently being adapted to ships. If you wanna know, it'll spread a cloud of retrovirus which will attack the cells of the people un-harmfully and deliver the correct genetic sequence. They'll pray but the battery will be depleted… The Ori are in for a severe power complex."

"Okay…" Jack J. nodded looking at him before turning back to his observation of the lush forest in the valley.

Jack stared at him a moment, a soft knowing smile briefly softening his features, then went down the trail.

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The three stepped down the ramp at the SGC to meet a forlorn Hank Landry. Jack looked at him inquiringly and the other man shook his head with a worried look.

"Carolyn wants you to be checked out before debriefing, suffice to say you won't be happy, Jack…" Landry said quietly.

Jack frowned. "Well you tell that CMO of yours that after an extended stay at an Asgard facility, we're perfectly well, even better than when we left here, we don't need medical check-up."

"General?" Hank raised an eyebrow warningly.

"What happened?"

Hank sighed and motioned for them to go to the briefing room as they gave whatever equipment they carried to the SFs. "I'll tell Carolyn you'll go to the Infirmary after the debriefing…"

They joined SG-1 minus Daniel and plus Malek around the table. Cameron looked at Jack worriedly.

"What's going on?" Jack asked.

"Jackson has been taken by Adria…" he started "but the worst is: he has Merlin's unfinished weapon with him…"

Jack sat down heavily "Crap!"

Jack J. and Sam exchanged worried looks and a heavy silence fell upon the room.

After a while, Sam cleared her throat. "At least we have the Asgard weapon available…" she said. "Cameron," she asked her teammate, "Was he injured?"

"No, just very weak after protecting us. We met Merlin but I guess an indefinite time in a stasis pod doesn't leave you unscathed. He sensed he was not strong enough to finish building his weapon, so he transferred his powers to Jackson and died in the process. After that, Jackson started working on building the weapon, but Adria caught up with us…"

"She was on the planet where we discovered the Sangraal," Malek supplied. "She tricked us into leading her to the cave where we had several trials to accomplish, the last one being confronting a real dragon."

Both Jack's and Jack J.'s eyebrows shot up.

"The protector…" Malek supplied.

"Ah…" Jack made a face halfway between a wince and a smile. "And?"

"I knew the name of its creator… Morgan La fey, according to Baal's knowledge… Except it was not really the name. Daniel Jackson called it in Ancient and the dragon disappeared. Then we went back to the first cave and were transported to another room where we found Merlin in a stasis pod, as Colonel Mitchell stated. Adria was left in the cave, but it did not prevent her from trying to find us, so every time she was on the verge of finding us, Merlin would transport us to another location. Only the last time she succeeded before we had time to lose her, and Daniel Jackson was caught."

Once again silence descended upon the room. Jack J. broke it.

"I don't know much about this Ori business since I was kept outta the loop for a long time… But I think we should try and use Thor's weapon while searching for Daniel. This will give us some insight about the efficiency of the weapon …"

Landry approved silently and looked at the men and women seated around the table suggestively.

"I think it's the least we can do while waiting, Sirs," Cameron finally admitted.

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Jack J. was getting dressed in the VIP quarters he had been given indefinitely. He was stuck on base with nothing to do but go to the recreation room several levels up and play flipper or rip off the unknowing guys who engaged him in a game of poker. In short, he was bored to death. He smoothed the jacket of his BDU on his sides and checked his image on the mirror. It still felt good to see himself dressed in BDUs again. He heard a soft knock and turned to see Jack enter the room.

"Hey!" the General said softly.

"Hey," Jack J. answered with a smile.

"I came to give you the all clear…"

"Oh?" Jack J. frowned.

Jack winced, knowing full well what the other's reaction would be at his next words. "Look… for your own security it's been decided that you resume your vacation at the cabin."

"What?! So they can use me, mess with my DNA, create a super weapon, and then dispose of me like trash?!"

"Jack…"

"What?! You're gonna give me a lecture?!" Jack J. snarled, his anger rising more by the minute.

Jack sighed wearily. "No… If you must know, I was against that decision. The joint chiefs and the President think it's best this way."

Jack J. slumped on the bed behind him. "I'm back to same old, same old, then…" he muttered.

Jack laid a hand on his shoulder. "Look… it's only two years…"

"Easy for you to say!"

Jack resumed in a firmer tone, "The Cabin is yours for the time being. An extended leave has been arranged with the academy. If I have to make it an order, I will."

There was a short silence then Jack J. looked at his counterpart frowning, his anger slowly dissipating. "What's the catch?"

"You need rest, there's no catch…. And I promise I'll keep you up to date with what I can in the foreseeable future, until you get assigned to the SGC. You're not the only one waiting for that, you know?"

"Oh?"

"I'll finally be able to retire," Jack raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"So that's the real reason you kept me around, right?" Jack J. quipped.

"Boy, what a smartass you are!"

"Backatcha…."

Jack chuckled. "In the meantime, I have work to do…" he started toward the door. "Oh, Sam will see you shortly."

"Any news on Daniel?"

Jack's face darkened and his brow creased with worry. "Not yet, we're still looking. The novelty is we've received strange reports of a Prior of a new kind and SG1's leaving soon for the designated planet but Sam wants to say goodbye first. I'll stay here at least until I get reports about this new Prior. It's good to be here and not in charge," He winked and pushed the door handle to open it, then snapped his fingers and faced the young man again. "I almost forgot! You'll be happy to know that on the first planet where the Asgard tested the weapon, the results are very encouraging. They've already started spreading the virus on other worlds and it seems to be producing the desired effect."

"Great… So we saved the world another time? It's beginning to get boring…"

"That's the first time YOU save the world… I'm too old for that crap now," Jack smiled.

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Jack J. parked his truck alongside the shed. He had insisted on driving, claiming that he needed the long hours in a changing landscape to feel really on vacation. He stretched his legs and took a deep breath, smiling as the cool air rushed into his lungs, invigorating him. A hawk chirped in the sky. His trained eyes quickly spotted it and he followed its elegant effortless flight patterns until the bird disappeared from sight.

He grabbed his bag from the back seat and went to pick the keys from underneath the wooden bench next to the entrance.

The smell of the wooden house assaulted his nostrils and, just as the fresh air had minutes before, gave him the sense of peace he craved. Jack had been right, he needed the respite. With the assurance that SGC matters would not be as closed to him as they had been in the past, Jack J. felt better. He closed the door and opened the blinds in the small living room before heading to the bedroom where he stopped in his tracks.

Someone was sleeping in the bed. The person moved slightly, revealing a wisp of blonde hair and his heart beat faster.

He swallowed and stepped forward cautiously. 'No this was impossible', he reasoned to himself. As he was nearing the bed, two slender arms came out from underneath the quilt and revealed a very young Sam Carter. Not that he thought that the Sam Carter he knew was old, but the woman before him was younger… Much younger.

"You're gonna keep your mouth open all day?" she asked, stretching and revealing more of her really bare shoulders.

Jack J. gulped. "What are you doing here?"

Sam rolled her eyes. "See, when I woke up, I told her you'd never figure this out…"

"Wo…Woke up?"

"… From the Asgard stasis pod. I asked Thor, well…. The other me asked Thor if we could repeat Loki's interrupted cloning, so here I am," she said, unfolding part or the covers in an inviting gesture and Jack had a tantalizing glimpse of what she wore underneath, which was nothing.

"But… why?" he stammered.

"Oh, I don't know… Because I wanted to revisit what a thrill youth and the academy had been, because I wanted to know if you were as much of a pain in the neck as your old self is…."

"Hey!" He interrupted. "I'm not 'old'! He's not old… Argh!" He sat on the edge of the bed, his back to her. "You're crazy, you know that?"

"I must be…" she crept forward and encircled his waist from behind. "I did this because I love you…" she said softly.

"You're my reward?" he said a bit sarcastically.

"Reward for what?" she asked, kneeling behind him.

"For my sacrifice…"

She slapped his shoulder.

"Hey!" he protested massaging the spot.

"Has the cloning process rendered you stupid?"

He turned with a cocky smile. "I was stupid before, remember…." Then he realized he was facing a very naked Sam Carter and his eyes grew wide.

She smiled suggestively. "You really want to pursue this conversation?"

Jack J. opened and closed his mouth several times until she decided to take things into her own hands. She leaned forward and kissed him.

Something switched in his mind and he held her when she tried to retreat from his embrace. The kiss escalated into something much more passionate which only the need to calm down a little before going further interrupted.

Jack J. was panting, his lips slightly apart. "Wow!"

She smiled sexily. "I'll second that…"

"You're not going to compare me with him, right?" he asked, suddenly worried.

She smiled languorously, her eyes shining with mischief. "Your evaluation has been done and validated, Cadet O'Neill." She raised her eyebrows suggestively and reached for his neck once more.

He stopped her. "So? Better?"

She rolled her eyes. "If you really want to know, it's the same, now I'm getting cold here, maybe I should get dressed…"

"No!" he said hastily, standing up and fumbling frantically with his clothes. "Same is good…" he said slipping inside the sheets and into her welcoming embrace.

Sometime later they were enjoying some relaxing time, quietly talking and taking pleasure in each other's company.

"You know, on your part this might seem entirely natural but on my side it's gonna take a while… I mean… You've been with him for what? Two years? It was my first time… With you, I mean…"

"I know," she said quietly, tracing patterns on his chest.

"Then we've got the academy to think of, but I have that covered… I think…" he said smugly.

She rose on her elbow frowning. "What is that?"

"Well we could nail two birds with the same stone…"

"Jack?" she warned.

He grinned widely and pulled at her shoulders so she came to rest on his chest, her eyes level to his. "I'm invited to Jack and Sam's wedding in a couple of months… Wanna get hitched?"

THE END


End file.
